MARAWI CITY, Philippines - U.S. special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in Marawi City, officials said on Saturday, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting.
The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi by fighters allied to Islamic State, which is now in its third week, but it had no boots on the ground.
"They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City.
The Pentagon, which has no permanent presence in the Philippines but for years has kept 50 to 100 special forces troops in the south of the country on rotational exercises, confirmed it was helping the Philippine military in Marawi.
It said in a statement it was providing Philippine forces with security assistance and training in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It said it had an additional 300 to 500 troops in the country to support regular training and activities, without giving further details.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said support included aerial surveillance and targeting, electronic eavesdropping, communications assistance and training. A U.S. P-3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, according to media reports.
"There is no direct U.S. participation in combat, which is prohibited by Philippine law, although our forces involved in training the Philippine military are authorized to defend themselves," the U.S. official said.
The cooperation between the longtime allies is significant because Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power a year ago, has taken a hostile stance towards Washington and has vowed to eject U.S. military trainers and advisers from his country.
The seizure of Marawi City on May 23 has alarmed Southeast Asian nations which fear that Islamic State - facing setbacks in Syria and Iraq - is establishing a stronghold on the Philippine island of Mindanao that could threaten the whole region.
About 40 foreigners have fought alongside the Philippine militants in Marawi City, most of them from Indonesia and Malaysia, though some came from the Middle East.
The Philippines military suffered its biggest one-day loss on Friday since 10 troops were killed in a friendly-fire incident on June 1. Herrera said 13 marines conducting clearing operations died after an "intense" house-to-house firefight during which they encountered improvised explosive devices and were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.
The deaths took to 58 the number of security forces killed, with 20 civilians and more than a hundred rebel fighters also killed in the Marawi fighting.
REPORTS OF MAUTE BROTHERS KILLED
At least 200 militants are holed up in a corner of the town. An estimated 500 to 1,000 civilians are trapped there, some being held as human shields, while others are hiding in their homes with no access to running water, electricity or food.
The military said it was making headway in the town but was proceeding carefully so as not to destroy mosques where some of the militants had taken up positions.
"We give premium to the mosques, because this is very symbolic to our Muslim brothers," Herrera said.
The Philippines is majority Christian, but Mindanao has a significant population of Muslims and Marawi City is overwhelmingly Muslim.
One of the main Islamist factions dug in around the heart of the city is the Maute group, a relative newcomer amid the throng of insurgents, separatists and bandits on Mindanao.
Herrera said the military was "validating" reports that the two Maute brothers who founded the group had been killed.
"We are still awaiting confirmation," he said. "We are still validating those reports but there are strong indications."
Maute joined forces with Isnilon Hapilon, who was last year proclaimed by Islamic State as its Southeast Asia "emir." Military officials believe Hapilon is still in the town.
The military has said it is aiming to end the siege by Monday, the Philippines' independence day.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA – At least 8 terrorists who were among those who attacked Marawi City have surrendered to government troops, a military official confirmed, the first time since the clashes erupted more than a week ago.
Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said Brigadier General Custodio Parcon Jr. confirmed the surrender of the 8 terrorists.
“What we did get is from the unit of General (Custodio) Parcon, there were 8 members hold up in Marawi who surrendered to his forces,” Padilla said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
According to Padilla, the terrorists “have been talked to and debriefed and have provided very, very valuable intelligence.”
The death toll in the Marawi City crisis has risen to 129, with more terrorists killed as government forces pounded on the Southern city.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, citing information from the Armed Forces, said the number of terrorists killed as of 8 p.m. of May 30 was at 89. Of these, 42 were confirmed through body count and 47 through eye witness accounts.
The number of civilian casualties remain at 19, although Padilla said there is an ongoing validation of reports of other civilian deaths.
The casualties on the government side, meanwhile, is now at 21.
Padilla also assured that no civilian died during the air strikes by the military, emphasizing that the military was only using force “commensurate” to the resistance it faces.
Padilla also issued another appeal for the remaining terrorists to surrender, saying they have no other choice if they want to live.
“They are trapped. They are contained. They are in areas that they will
never come out alive unless they surrender. And that’s why we are asking
them and we are appealing to these armed men to come to their senses,
lay down their weapons and surrender,” Padilla said.
“In this manner, we will be able to reduce the increasing cost of innocent lives as well as damage to property and at the same time further lessens the number of numerous crimes they have been committed,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte last week placed Mindanao under martial law after government troops clashed with the Maute group and its cohorts in Marawi City.
The clashes erupted as state forces were trying to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, considered one of the most wanted terrorists by the US. According to Padilla, Hapilon could still be in Marawi City.
Security experts say otherwise, saying that the government failed to detect terrorists' movement.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MARAWI, Lanao del Sur - Snipers of the Maute group were making it
difficult for government forces from rescuing wounded soldiers and
trapped civilians in this southern city on Sunday, as fighting between
state forces and local terrorists entered the sixth day.
Authorities said around 17 non-combatants were reportedly stranded in a
building in the downtown area after they sought shelter from the
government's surgical airstrikes against the extremists.
The building's fourth and fifth floors reportedly collapsed due to the airstrikes, trapping the civilians on the second floor.
ABS-CBN sources, meanwhile, said several wounded soldiers were also trapped in the city center.
Soldiers and elite policemen from the Special Action Forces have made several attempts to rescue their injured comrades and the civilians.
Snipers, however, have opened fire at the state troops, forcing them to retreat.
VIOLENCE MARS RAMADAN
The military on Saturday said it will sustain the airstrikes to flush out Maute fighters.
The offensives have damaged or destroyed at least 4 houses, including the residence of Lanao del Sur Rep. Jun Papandayan.
The fighting has also made it difficult for Marawi residents
to observe Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, as many continued
fleeing to safer ground or grappled with difficult conditions in
evacuation centers.
At least 31 suspected terrorists have been killed in clashes
since Tuesday, 6 of whom may be fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia,
Armed Forces spokesperson Restituto Padilla earlier said.
The government side, meanwhile, has suffered 13 deaths, 11
soldiers and two policemen. There has yet to be a confirmed count on
civilian deaths, but nine people were found slain allegedly by the Maute group on Tuesday.
The pandemonium in Marawi erupted last Tuesday after a failed attempt to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, the suspected leader of the Islamic State terror group in Southeast Asia. -- report from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA – Government forces will step up efforts to repel terrorist groups from Marawi City and hope to prevail in three days, the military said Saturday.
This as government continued bomb runs to flush out members of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, who have been engaged in clashes with government troops since Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Carlito Galvez Jr. said local government officials and government troops would do their part to gain peace in Marawi City.
“I assure the public that, with the help of our governor, and local government units, rest assured that the military will do their part…Mamadaliin po namin ang normalcy, [so that residents can] go back in time for Ramadan…Hopefully tingnan natin, within three days we can [clear the city],” he told reporters in a briefing in Marawi City.
Local officials said only about 10 percent of Marawi City’s more than 200,000 residents remained in the conflict-stricken area.
Most evacuated when the firefights began, and others fled when the Armed Forces initiated its strategic airstrikes.
Those who plan to remain in the city until the end of hostilities should stay away from engagement areas and lock down their houses, the government said.
Authorities are closely guarding the Marawi City Hall as it is "the locality's symbol of sovereignty," officials said.
At least 31 suspected terrorists have been killed in clashes since Tuesday, six of whom were believed to be fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia, Armed Forces spokesperson Restituto Padilla earlier said.
At least 11 soldiers and two police officers have meanwhile been killed. Government has yet to release a confirmed count on civilian deaths as of this posting, but nine hostages were known to have been slain by the Maute group on Tuesday.
Their bodies were found in Marawi City on Saturday as the fighting entered the fifth day.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
